Animal Welfare in the Context of Sustainable Rural Development on the Example of Dairy Farming

The paper presents Polish farmer’s opinions about animal welfare and possible benefits and costs of producing under the private brand of high animal welfare standard. Data used in the study were collected using questionnaire interviews in 150 farms in the Mazowieckie and Podlaskie Provinces. It was found, that 41% of farmers expressed their desire to join the brand of some standard with high animal welfare requirements if such a possibility was made in Poland. The majority of them already took steps to raise the level of animal welfare on their farms. High animal welfare requirement gives an opportunity to increase a profitability of milk production. Those requirements imply not only restrictions for farmers and farm development, but also benefit in some significant advantages.